Synopses & Reviews

Review:

"Anyone curious about the persistence of Carter's notoriety...will find all the answers in Hurricane, an exhaustive biography by the journalist James S. Hirsch....That the book wasn't censored is believable — Hirsch never makes his subject into the unblemished Hollywood hero portrayed by [Denzel] Washington....[A] nearly biblical tale of persecution, punishment and redemption." Charles Kaiser, The New York Times Book Review

Synopsis:

In 1967, the black boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and a young acquaintance, John Artis, were wrongly convicted of triple murder by an all-white jury in Paterson, New Jersey. Over the next decade, Carter gradually amassed convincing evidence of his innocence and the vocal support of celebrities from Bob Dylan to Muhammad Ali. He was freed in 1976 pending a new trial, but he lost his appeal — to the amazement of many — and landed back in prison.

Carter, bereft, shunned almost all human contact until he received a letter from Lesra Martin, a teenager raised in a Brooklyn ghetto. Against his bitter instincts, Carter agreed to meet with Martin, thus taking the first step on a tortuous path back to the world. Martin introduced him to an enigmatic group of Canadians who helped wage a successful battle to free him. As Carter orchestrated this effort from his cell, he also embarked on a singular intellectual journey, which led ultimately to a freedom more profound than any that could be granted by a legal authority.

About the Author

James S. Hirsch is a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. His first book, Hurricane, about the boxer Rubin Carter, garnered much acclaim and appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal. He resides in Needham, Massachusetts.

"Review"
by Charles Kaiser, The New York Times Book Review,
"Anyone curious about the persistence of Carter's notoriety...will find all the answers in Hurricane, an exhaustive biography by the journalist James S. Hirsch....That the book wasn't censored is believable — Hirsch never makes his subject into the unblemished Hollywood hero portrayed by [Denzel] Washington....[A] nearly biblical tale of persecution, punishment and redemption."

"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,

In 1967, the black boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and a young acquaintance, John Artis, were wrongly convicted of triple murder by an all-white jury in Paterson, New Jersey. Over the next decade, Carter gradually amassed convincing evidence of his innocence and the vocal support of celebrities from Bob Dylan to Muhammad Ali. He was freed in 1976 pending a new trial, but he lost his appeal — to the amazement of many — and landed back in prison.

Carter, bereft, shunned almost all human contact until he received a letter from Lesra Martin, a teenager raised in a Brooklyn ghetto. Against his bitter instincts, Carter agreed to meet with Martin, thus taking the first step on a tortuous path back to the world. Martin introduced him to an enigmatic group of Canadians who helped wage a successful battle to free him. As Carter orchestrated this effort from his cell, he also embarked on a singular intellectual journey, which led ultimately to a freedom more profound than any that could be granted by a legal authority.

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and gifts — here at Powells.com.